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There was a sequence in the second period of Boston's 4-2 win over Montreal Saturday night where Bruins winger Milan Lucic flexed his right bicep and pointed to it, a taunt in the direction of Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban with whom he had clashed a couple of times.

Lucic was targeting Subban, but he might have been summing up the night and, perhaps, the ultimate truth in this series.

On this night, the Bruins were too much, too strong in every department for a Canadiens team looking suddenly quite overmatched and, now, down 3-2 in the series.

The Canadiens have lost two straight games for the first time this post-season and face elimination in Game 6 Monday night at the Bell Centre.

“I think it’s self-explanatory. Just one of those battles within the game,” said Lucic, who had a bigger impact with his feet, getting them moving and becoming a forechecking menace Saturday night.

“Just having a little bit of fun within the game. As serious as this game can be, sometimes it has to be fun as well. You know (Subban) likes to have fun, too. Turn the page and focus on the next game.”

The Bruins were better in every department Saturday night and once again got big mileage out of their third line, the series' best unit.

Loui Eriksson, Carl Soderberg and Matt Fraser combined for two goals and four assists after Fraser bagged the winner in Montreal in Game 4.

“Carl Soderberg’s line has arguably been our best line so far in this series. They make things happen so give them a lot of credit,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “It certainly takes a lot of pressure off the other lines.”

“You just roll with it and it’s amazing what a little confidence can do for a line,” added Fraser, who was called up Thursday.”

There were many trends that turned the Bruins way in this one.

With chatter in the hours before the game revolving around how the paucity of penalty calls in Games 3 and 4 (just five after 22 in the first two games) helped the Bruins, they went out and scored two power-play goals 32 seconds apart in the opening couple of minutes of the second to take control of the game.

So, it seems, Boston can win it any way you want to play it.

It was a nightmare game for Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec. He iced the puck, and then lost the resulting faceoff in the Habs zone, which led to the first goal-against of the game.

It predictably came with Montreal defenceman Douglas Murray not being able to keep up with Boston forward Loui Eriksson behind the Canadiens net. Eriksson centred it to Carl Soderberg, who scored his first playoff goal at 13:20 of the opening frame.

The snowshoe-footed Murray had pointed the finger at himself for the overtime winner in Game 4 by Boston’s Matt Fraser, yet Canadiens coach Michel Therrien, who didn’t have the benefit of last change to protect Murray, still opted to dress him on the road instead of veteran Francis Bouillon.

Plekanec was in the box for both Bruins power-play goals.

He was off for goalie interference when Boston’s Reilly Smith cashed in with a deflection off his toe. Plekanec was then whistled for high sticking and saw Bruin Jarome Iginla beat Price with a one-timer between the pads to make it 3-0.

Plekanec helped get one of those back late in the second period, with Boston’s Brad Marchand in the box. Forward Brendan Gallagher had Plekanec’s shot go in off him in the blue paint at 14:39.

The Canadiens still got almost nothing from their front-line offensive players. Winger Max Pacioretty finally appeared to speak after the morning skate and said he had to be better. He drew an assist on a late power-play goal by Subban that made it 4-2.

Thomas Vanek, still looking like a guy who’s hurt -- though he’s said he isn’t -- had just one shot on net.

“It was just one of those games where we were on the wrong side of the puck all night,” Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said. “We weren’t moving the puck quick enough against their speed.”

“We didn’t quit. We kept going, we kept battling, we kept pushing,” Montreal blueliner Josh Gorges said. “There is no quit in this team. We know what the stakes are at now, we know the situation we’re in. We’ll go home tomorrow and get ourselves prepared.”

“We got (character) in here,” Subban added. “We have enough here. We just have to bring it facing elimination ... it’s fun hockey and you know we are going to bring our ‘A’ game next game, that’s for sure.”

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There wasn't much left of Daniel Briere's voice. The veteran Montreal Canadiens forward had been turned into a cheerleader, sitting on the Canadiens bench for most of the third period of their Game 7 victory over the Boston Bruins, cooling his heels despite having set up the crucial first goal two minutes into the game.